Strengthening Postsecondary Career and Technical Education Researchers Through Research Methods Webinars

The resurgence of interest in career and technical education (CTE) has driven demand for skilled researchers to examine policies and practices that prepare individuals for the workforce. This study disseminates the perspectives of graduate and post-doctoral CTE research fellows on the quality and impact of research methods webinars they attended during their fellowship. The webinars aimed to enhance research skills and professional development. The study used mixed methods to analyze fellows' feedback, revealing themes such as supplementation to doctoral coursework, networking with CTE scholars, acquiring new knowledge, peer engagement, and the essential role of webinars in the fellowship. After each webinar surveys were collected from fellows (n=175).  A total of ten fellows provided detailed responses to the open-ended questions, leading to findings about the fellows' perceived level of quality and impacts of the webinars. The findings indicate that the webinars offered valuable supplementary knowledge beyond doctoral coursework, broadened the fellows' understanding, and enhanced their capability to conduct rigorous research. The webinars also facilitated networking with CTE scholars, sparked the development of new knowledge and potential research studies, fostered peer engagement, and were regarded as an essential component of the fellowship program in enhancing research skills and capabilities.